Whoever wins Portland's mayoral race Tuesday will inherit from Mayor Sam Adams a hole-riddled city budget, a long to-do list and -- depending on the race between Commissioner Amanda Fritz and challenger Mary Nolan -- a City Council possibly unsettled by one of the biggest election-year shakeups in 60 years.

Budget commitments, a costly agreement between the Portland Police Bureau and the U.S. Department of Justice, and the possible passage Tuesday of a Multnomah County library taxing district will saddle Portland's next mayor with a potential $22 million to $24 million budget gap in 2013.

A slew of Adams' projects -- everything from the Veterans Memorial Coliseum redevelopment to the planned West Hayden Island annexation -- also await.

Add in Commissioner-elect Steve Novick, a second possible newbie in Nolan and a sitting mayor who has so far resisted lame-duck status, and it's easy to imagine the tectonic plates building pressure under Portland City Hall. Not since 1952 have three seats on the City Council changed hands.

Commissioners Nick Fish and Dan Saltzman, the only council members sure to stick around in 2013, predict an abrupt power shift Wednesday.

"The day after the election, we will have a duly elected mayor and a mayor-elect, and both will have influence on the council for the balance of the year," Fish said.

Or, as Saltzman said of Adams' third-floor office: "The phone's going to stop ringing up there."

Either way, Tuesday's winner won't have time to rest. The next fiscal year's budget process begins in earnest Nov. 13 with the first scheduled work session. City officials plan to invite the mayor-elect, and Adams said Friday that his No. 1 priority is to help the new mayor get his "budget sea legs."

For now, however, both Hales and Smith are being careful not to second-guess spending decisions, though Hales said he would want to challenge current assumptions and Smith called for new efficiencies.

The looming budget gap is the result of City Council decisions and outside circumstances, including: $8.4 million in unfunded commitments to economic development, housing and neighborhood programs; a possible $8 million to $10 million annual hole from property tax "compression" if the library district is voted in; and $5.4 million a year in new police costs under the federal reform agreement.

(Compression occurs when the sum of property taxes exceeds state limits, forcing a reduction in collections. The city stands to lose money from its Portland Children's Levy and general fund.)

"If I'm elected, obviously the budget is going to be something that will be a major area of work," Hales said in a recent interview. "That's going to be one of the real focal points for the city for the next few months."

But Hales resisted offering specifics about his approach, saying he's been so focused on the campaign that he hasn't had time to dive into details.

"It's going to be a challenging budget, but I understood that from the beginning," Hales said. "There's always a chance to set priorities. There's always a chance to focus better."

Smith said the potential hit from a library district offers a chance for the city and county to "realign" shared mental health services, shifting some costs to the county.

Aside from the budget, Adams said Friday that he plans to finish several controversial projects before leaving office. His list includes reaching an agreement with the Port of Portland on a new marine terminal on West Hayden Island; moving ahead with redevelopment of the coliseum; and adding parking meters in Northwest Portland.

Hales has said the City Council should hit pause on West Hayden Island, citing concern from environmentalists. Smith has said he might want a pause in the process.

But Adams isn't letting that stop him. "It's this council's decision whether or not they have enough information to make an informed decision," he said.

Separately, both candidates are looking to take over all city bureaus for a time, if elected. Under Portland's commission form of government, the mayor and city commissioners each oversee a collection of city bureaus and offices.

Hales, for example, would like to take bureaus away from commissioners for the first three months of 2013, saying that would enable him to work with commissioners on crafting a new budget. "The main defect of our form of government is that it tends to devolve into five little mayors," Hales said. "This is a counterbalance against that problem and a way for all five of us ... to pause and look at the whole city."

Smith said he would take control for 30 days.

Saltzman and Fish aren't keen on either idea but specifically criticized Hales' proposal. Saltzman, who runs the development and sewer bureaus, said three months is too short a time to achieve much. He called Hales' plan "a token type of gesture."

Fish, who runs the parks and housing bureaus, said he advised Hales against taking over bureaus, saying three months is too long. He added that running bureaus requires tremendous day-to-day focus that could hamper big-picture policymaking.

The last newly elected mayor to take over the bureaus for a long stretch was Tom Potter, whose first year in office drew accusations of micromanagement.